Committee on Constitutional Affairs I (AFCO I) BalkIn or BalkOut? With several Balkan countries being candidates and potential candidates for EU membership and benefiting from pre-accession funding, several accession criteria still need to be fulfilled, leaving negotiations stagnating. How, if at all, should the EU ensure a smooth accession process of Balkan countries, also in light of the potential setbacks that such enlargement could bring to the EU’s stability as a whole? by Enrico Zonta (IT)
1. Background and relevance “We want the Western Balkans in the European Union, there cannot be any doubt that our goal is enlargement.” Ursula Von der Leyen - 6th October 2021, Brdo, Slovenia. These are the words that the President of the European Commission Von der Leyen used on the 6th October, 2021 in the EU-Western Balkans summit in Brdo, Slovenia, conveying a clear message on the EU’s joint will to welcome the Balkan enlargement. However, the political turmoil over the topic among the EU leaders and the stagnating progress in the Balkan region might present a more complex and intricate perspective. In order for a country to join the European Union, it has to fulfill the accession criteria, also known as Copenhagen criteria, consisting of political criteria, such as democracy and the rule of law1, economic criteria, such as a functioning market economy, and administrative criteria, such as the capacity to effectively implement the acquis2. After having filed an application for the EU membership and being considered ready by the European Council, a country is granted a candidate status, meaning that accession negotiations between the country and the EU are opened. Since 2003 the Western Balkans are granted a favoured route for accession to the EU, due to their strategic importance for the Union in terms of trade, migration, stability, and geopolitical dominance of the region. The process is referred to as Stabilisation and Association Process (SPA) and involves favourable contractual and trade relationships, financial assistance, and political dialogue for the stability of the region. Currently, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo have been granted a Potential Candidate Status under the Stabilisation and Association Process, while Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia have been granted Candidate Country status and their accession talks with the EU have started. However, 1
The rule of law is the legal concept by which everyone in the country falls under the law and has to respect it, both the citizens and the government. 2 The Acquis communitaire is the body of common rights and duties pertaining to EU Member States, comprising all of its sources of law. 8
